Interested in club sports in Dartmouth? Find out about the biggest and most popular teams, from rugby, tennis and football to hockey and figure skating.
Heath Monsma | | 11 minutes ago
Source: Courtesy of Aislinn Mitcham
This article was originally published in the 2022 Freshmen Special.
Although many Dartmouth students played their high school sport competitively, only about 0.08% of high school athletes played the sport at the collegiate level, and less than 2% of those students attended a Division I school like Dartmouth. I am playing at But 99.92% of those girls weren’t left without a chance to play while in college. Club sports have bridged the gap between national team athletes and the large number of freshmen seeking the camaraderie that track and field offers.
Dartmouth has 33 club sports teams, ranging from nationally competitive teams such as rugby, soccer, tennis, figure skating, squash and men’s hockey, to locally competitive and primarily fitness-based teams. Various up to Local competitive teams include lacrosse, basketball, fencing, baseball, taekwondo, and table tennis, while fitness-based teams include badminton, golf, boxing, and running.Students can learn more about club sports at the annual Club Fair and Dartmouth Engagement on the Green during the fall semester websitelists all club sports and their contact information.
The 2021-22 school year was a significant rebuilding period for these student-run groups after the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted tryouts, practices and games for multiple seasons. Still, several club sports teams have had a successful past year and will hold tryouts in September, especially in hopes of adding new members from the 2026 class to their teams.
Club Tennis is a student-run, coeducational team that conducts tryouts for two teams of approximately 12 players. The A team practices at least three times a week and competes in both regional and national tournaments, according to B team captain Sophia Swanson ’23. The B team, on the other hand, practices two to three times a week and competes in local tournaments and more individual competitions. .
Swanson said she’s been playing tennis since freshman year and feels she’s on the B team keeps the level of competition high while keeping the effort manageable. Swanson said she felt the most rewarding part of being on the team was not the games, but the moments in between.
“This spring we traveled down [University of Massachusetts, Amherst]and it was early in the morning, so we stopped at Dunkin’ Donuts,” Swanson said. .”
13 consecutive Ivy League titles from 2008 to 2020 sevens squad This spring, they finished fifth in the nation, leading in terms of players and resources. Each year, there are three to four full teams of 15 players in his line-up, and the program is led by a full-time head, assistant and strength and conditioning coach. In addition, the team is competitive and travels across the country, largely thanks to alumni donor funding, giving them access to all college athletic facilities.
This level of competition may make the program inaccessible to some, but Jaime Chuidian ’23 said anyone can try rugby and see if it’s right for them.
“There are different people on the team, whether they have grown up and played, or whether they are new to the sport at all,” Chuidian said. “A lot of the kids who’ve never played before go into fourth grade as if they’ve been playing all their lives.”
Chiudian said the A-team is his main extracurricular activity, but he has found a way to balance school and rugby, adding that school is a top priority.
In addition to rugby, other club sports with non-student coaching staff include ultimate, women’s soccer, figure skating and men’s hockey. Last year, women’s soccer won the Ivy League championship, while figure skating and men’s hockey both ranked among the top 16 teams in the country and qualified for national competitions across the country.
Both figure skating and men’s hockey coaches receive some compensation from the Department of Physical Education and Recreation’s club sports funds, player dues, donations and other fundraising efforts, while women’s soccer coach Stephen Severson ’74 is volunteer-based. I work at Mitchum ’23 said.
“Steve [Severson] One of the nicest people I’ve ever met,” Mitchum said. “He organizes practices and is very good at listening to the players. [Baker-Berry Library] Instead of going out to Sachem [Fields]he does it.
Women’s club soccer has fall tryouts, but only one team of about 25 takes to the field.
“I was pretty nervous, but on the first day the girls on the team made it clear that even if they weren’t making a team, they were making friends,” Mitchum said. I thought it would be a fun environment.”
Mitchum said the team has a similar attitude towards practice and game attendance.
“We’re all competitive, but it feels like a very cozy place,” Mitchum said. “When we can make time to attend, we are all very much looking forward to seeing you, but when we are not, we all know that we are Dartmouth students first.”
Among many club sports, figure skating is characterized by no tryouts and no limit on the number of participants.
“Everyone on the team has some experience skating, but we try to recruit people from all different levels,” said captain David Kaufman ’23. No, but new students are welcome to practice with us, and we want to create an environment where everyone feels supported, no matter how much time they put in.”
Members of figure skating clubs participating in one of three qualifying events held in the fall and winter will have to pay for travel and hotel costs to the national competition, but all other clubs will have to pay, Kaufman said. As with sports, financial assistance is available.
For Kaufman, the decision to join the team was well worth the expense.
“I was able to find the love for the sport that I was missing in high school, and that’s largely because of the amazing people involved here,” Kaufman said. It was an experience.”
Last year, the men’s soccer team won second place, and the women’s lacrosse team won the Ivy League.
For the men’s soccer team, tryouts take place in the fall for both the fall and spring seasons, forming two teams, according to team member Jack Riley ’24. Practices are student-run, and most athletes go twice a week, he said.
Riley explained that the team narrowly lost the Ivy League championship in Rhode Island this spring, losing to Brown University on penalties, but that loss did little to dampen his experience.
“We played really well despite having a ridiculous number of injuries. It was the most fun I’ve had in soccer since high school,” he said.
According to Annie Burton ’24, Women’s Club Lacrosse’s championship victory was a great one, especially considering it was over Harvard and decided by a last-minute goal.
Burton said of the women’s club lacrosse Ivy League tournament: “We are student-run, so it can feel like an underdog at times, but we have a lot of seasoned players on our team and they have proven it.”
Burton said the team is in the process of deciding whether to make the cut or tryouts this year, but exclusivity isn’t one of their values. ‘ practice, explaining that freshmen will be paired with senior mentors as a resource for navigating Dartmouth. We plan to host oxygen exercise and strength training.
Women’s club lacrosse is focused on making club sports a social conduit, not just between teammates, but with other teams, Burton said.
“There were social events like a water polo club, a field hockey club, a soccer club, and baseball,” she added. “At Dartmouth, Greek life is a big social scene. When you’re not affiliated as a freshman, it’s great to have other outlets like club sports.”
Members of the 2026 class were afraid that their exercise days were over or they didn’t have the chance to start, but worry no more! From fencing to field hockey, badminton to boxing, table tennis to taekwondo, club sports create opportunities to practice, compete, or simply make new friends.
